A Safe Place For My Vitriol

The Chicago Fire announced yesterday that they have agreed to terms with mexican forward/midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco. From my point of view, there hasn't been a marriage of such evil entities in the history of MLS.

The Fire get the attacking player they desperately need in the short term and Blanco gets a multi-year deal which will pay him a very good salary, something he wouldn't get in mexico at his age. Chicago also gets a player who could tap into the latino market to help their attendance, which was slightly disappointing during Bridgeview's inaugural year. Other MLS teams get a possible attraction when the Fire come to town. The Revolution get a much maligned El Tri playing for a heated rival.

Blanco has been a fixture on the mexican national team for several world cups. When the US-Mexico rivalry was hitting it's zenith in 2002, Blanco was one of their best, and dirtiest, players. It'll be interesting to see what kind of reaction he gets from opposing crowds. We'll have to wait until June 30th when his contract with Club America runs out.

In the meantime, better get that battery-throwing arm in shape and checkout this T-Shirt:



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Blue Blooded Hooligans

2007 Revolution Preview - Defense

The New England Revolution enter the 2007 season on saturday in Chicago a little banged up in the back. Daniel Hernandez is recovering slowly from offseason groin surgery (ouch) and Micheal Parkhurst suffered a freak injury from a wave crashing on him in Cancun (Hey Posidon: go *#&% yourself!). This has forced coach Stevie Nicol to move James Riley to the middle of the backline in our now traditional 3-5-2. The thinness in depth could prove costly early on if there are any more injuries to the defense. Luckily they have two solid defensive midfielders and the league's best keeper to help out. Here's a breakdown on the revolution players who could factor into the goals against average this season:

Defenders

Jay Heaps: This marks the seventh season in a Revs uniform for the former second overall pick and New Hampshire native. No longer able to rely on his athleticism, the former Duke basketball player has learned to use his wits to sure up the right back position over the last few seasons. This will become increasingly important this season with a fresh crop of rookies that are not quite ready for prime time. He's a starter when healthy, and maybe the most critically important player this year with all the new forwards coming into the league.

Micheal Parkhurst: Started from day one and never looked back. Uses mind over matter and rarely fouls, yet has helped the Revs achieve a superior GAA in each of his two years. His injury may prevent the Revs from getting off to a fast start.

Avery John: The Trinidad & Tobago internation has fallen out of favor with coach Nicol on more than one occasion. Sometimes too quick to go to leave his while defending, but has the ability to mark anyone in MLS effectively. Earned his starting left back position again last summer when James Riley floundered. Rumors of a transfer to Queens Park Rangers proved unfounded, and he's back in the starting lineup for another year.

James Riley: Filling in for Parkhurst is his former teammate at Wake Forrest. He's been used out wide in the midfield and started at left back for a considerable stretch early last season before a few knocks kept him out for a month in the summer. His form never recovered. I'm interested in seeing how well he does in the middle of the defense.

Daniel Hernandez: Another year, another injury nagging DH. Hopefully, Hernandez can come back healthy. Although he's technically a midfielder, he may see some action at central defense if Parkhurst participates in Copa America during the summer. He played that position for a few years in Mexico and has shown his defensive competence in MLS.

Tony Lochhead: One player who has not lived up to his promise is Tony Lochhead. The New Zealand international seems to be getting passed by younger players. Holding a senior international roster spot, one has to wonder how much longer he has with the team?

Amaechi Igwe: Played forward in college, plays defense for the US U-20s ahead of the world championships in Canada this summer. He's a very gifted player who may be a year away from making a big splash in the league.

Gary Flood: This supplemental pick has impressed at central defense during the preseason and almost earned the starting spot when Parkhurst went down. The word is he's very poised in the back almost like a Parkhurst clone. He probably needs a few more months of defending Twellman and Noonan during practice before he's ready for the big time.

Marshall Leonard: Sat out the entire 2006 season with an injury sustained at the end of that playoff classic with the Mutts. I'd be interested if he can earn a starting position back at either left defender of left midfield.

Joey Franchino: Currently on a leave of absense from the team due to personal issues. He could fill in at either left back or defensive midfielder.


Defensive Midfielders

Shalrie Joseph: The best defensive midfielder in the league, bar none. Has the ability to control games and shut down the opposing team's attacking mid. Surprised everyone when he demanded a trade earlier this month. Probably just a negotiating ploy, the Revs will hopefully give him the contract he deserves and nail him down for the rest of his prime.

Jeff Larentowicz: Big Red stepped up last year big time and raised more than a few eyebrows. He'll be starting next to Joseph on opening day. Very composed on the ball, but still needs to improve his marking and passing. Has a battle on his hands for playing time when Hernandez gets healthy. He may be the long term replacement if Joseph leaves.

Ryan Solle: Holding mid may be his best position, but he'll have a hard time cracking this lineup this year. Scouting reports say he is a very skillful passer and makes good decisions.


Goalkeepers

Matt Reis: For my money, the best keeper in the league. Paid his dues, so when the longtime backup to Kevin Hartman got his chance in 2004, he played like a veteran from the get go. He will be immensely important the first month of the season with some of the top defenders out.

Doug Warren: Doug's an unproven backup who might actually have a fight on his hands for the #2 position.

Brad Knighton: This rookie may overtake Warren for Reis's backup. He impressed during a few outings in the preseason. It'll be interesting to see who plays if Reis is called into US national team duty over the summer.


That's it for the Rev's defensive outlook. I'll preview the attacking players in the next post.

Adam Cristman Superstar?

One of the few pleasant surprises during the preseason has been the ability of Revs rookie Adam Cristman to find the back of the net for both club and country. His remarkable form has yeilded a least a goal in each of his outings with the Revs and a few goals for Bob Bradley's US U-23 side. Not too shabby for someone the Revs picked up late in the fourth round on draft day. What makes this even sweeter is the fact the team traded Kyle Brown in order to pick him up.

So is he for real? I have no freakin clue. The Revs have been playing inferior competition. That's what you do in order to gain form as a unit the months before the season kicks off. Lee Martin performed well in preseason friendlies for Man U last summer, but he's a long ways away from even making their bench (currently on loan). However, Cristman had to prove that he belongs on an MLS pitch. I believe he has gone a long way in doing just that.

With Pat Noonan suffering from nagging injuries, Cristman is our likely starting forward alongside Taylor Twellman in Chicago next week for the opener. That'll be his first true test. If Noonan had been healthy, he could have settled in with the large group of freshmen comprising quite an intriguing reserve side. This is the first year I'm actually excited to go watch the reserves play, and Cristman is one of the reasons. Who knows, maybe he is the real deal and I'll never see him take the reserve pitch? Just in case, let me offer up some Adam Cristman songs:

I saw three shots go sailing in
On Cristman's day, On Cristman's day
I saw three shots go sailing in
On Cristman's day in the morning

Adam Crist(man)! Superstar!
Do you think you are what they say you are?

It's Cristman's time in Hollis, Queens
Momma's busy cooking up collared greens...


Alright, maybe not that last one.

Relaunch/Cross-Country Odyssey

Just in time for the 2007 season, Blue Blooded Journo is back from the dead. Where have I been? Well, I had an invite to join an old friend of mine in Vegas for the NASCAR race a few weeks back. Since I was driving, I decided to get in touch with some old navy buddies along the route and see if they wanted to get together and catch up on old times. Well, that steamrolled into a cross-country trek that took me to Pittsburg, Oregon, LA, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Alabama, and I'm spending the current week in Orlando.

As a result, I haven't been able to share my views on the Revs' preseason. It has been quite eventful by Revolution standards: Joseph's trade demand, Cristman's goal scoring, Joey's leave of absence, captain's carosel, etc... My merchandise whoring endeavor has also been dormant.

Well, fear not. I'm back on this blog. I plan on doing a quick preview and recap of each game which will be heavy on the editorial side. I also plan on giving my own unique preview of the team's 2007 season in the coming days.

Other than that, Rangers are pretty much a lock for second in the SPL and Manchester United are a virtual lock for the EPL, FA Cup final at Wembley, and have a shot at the European Cup if they can avoid another injury in their backline. Once again, sorry for the absence and stand by for some quick shot posts....

Revs Pick Six

The New England Revolution managed to turn four picks into six, get rid of a horrible player, and grab a 2008 pick while only giving up $125,000 in cap space in yesterday's MLS superdraft.

Coach Nicol surprised many with the fifth pick yesterday. Many observers thought the pick acquired for a portion of the Clint Dempsey allocation money was to ensure Nicol Colaluca would be playing for his local team. Instead, Wells Thompson, a player some thought was a third rounder, was the selection (Colaluca went 6th to Colorado). Thompson is a M/F out of Wake Forest. He appears to be the player the coach had his eye on. Stevie Nicol has shown in the past he could pick'em, but was the cap space worth it? I think it was if Thompson can be a serviceable substitute the first year and ready to start the second year.

There's another way I look at this. Last year, we received a partial allocation for our 13th pick. This year, we got the 5th pick and a conditional 2008 2nd round pick for the same amount. Granted, last year's draft was a disaster for the Revs, but I'm just looking at what a 5th pick is worth. There's also the point that LA also had the 10th pick. They could have traded that pick instead, but Stevie held out for the 5th.

Passing on Colaluca doesn't concern me. He's local and it would have been nice to have another Rhode Islander on the team. However, he practiced with the team last summer and the Revs knew him well. The fact they passed on him means they think Wells can offer more. If Colaluca winds up being the next Dempsey, we know where to place blame.

For our natural first round pick, we selected Amaechi Igwe out of Santa Clara. He's on the U-20 team and players LD. He played forward in his first and only semester in college and can also play LM. He's already 6'0" and has decent speed. He'll join fellow U-20 Micheal Gonzalez on the Revs.

The second round pick was another Wake player in Ryan Solle. He's a midfielder with tremendous feet and passing skills for a college senior. Some had him going in the first round. I'm very happy we got him where we did. That makes four Wake Forrest players on the roster and they were all teammates together for two years. That can't be bad for chemistry.

The third round pick was Bryan Bryne out of UC Santa Barbara. He's a native of Ireland and will turn 25 during the season. Many teams stayed away from him because he'll count as a senior international. I watched him in the College Cup and he is a maniac wide right, will run at anyone, can pass, and is an exceptional crosser. I'm looking forward to watching this character on the field.

In the last round, the Revs traded away Kyle Brown for a late pick. They took target forward Adam Cristman out of Virginia. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder with something to prove after being selected so late. The last pick for us was athletic defender Kyle Helton out of Duke.

All and all, I thought the picks were decent. The Wells Thompson pick had a lot of people scratching their heads. There's always the notion that Nicol just wanted another 1st round pick and the fifth was the cheapest one they could get.

We'll see how this pans out, but this new group looks like a fine young base on which to build the future starting XI on.

Revs Draft Grade: B